The Book of Cats. 83 



For that poor Kins: 1^0 rest enjoy'd 

 All through the rats and mice, 

 They swept the food from off his board— 

 Puss killed them in a trice." 



(And I should rather think she did, too, if the 

 artist may be believed who depicts her simultane- 

 ously seizing one rat with her teeth, and two others 

 with each of her fore paws.) 



'* The King then gave him heaps of gold 

 For an animal so rare ; 

 The merchant brought it all to Dick, 

 Oh, how the boy did stare ! 



(And he is represented staring tremendously at 

 a box, apparently four feet by two-and-a-half, and 

 two-and-a-quarter high, marked *'R. W.," and 

 chock full of guineas.) 



" The kindly bells had told him true 

 In saying, ' Turn again,' 

 For Whittington was thrice Lord Mayor 

 In great King Henry's reign." 



The poem here concludes with a beautiful pic- 

 ture of a gentleman and a lady sitting on chairs of 

 state. I am not quite certain whether this is in- 

 tended to represent King Henry and his Queen, or 

 Lord and Lady Whittington ; as far as the portrait 



